Top News Stories: President Obama, Chastity Bono, and more

Betty on the News

Betty on The News: Top Stories

-The Betty Editors

1. Contradicting statements, antsy behavior, and one dead girl. The 2007 murder of British student Meredith Kercher still has authorities scratching their heads, which is why then-roommate Amanda Knox took to the stand Friday in an effort to prove her innocence. During her testimony in an Italian courtroom Knox maintained that she was at her now ex-boyfriend’s (Raffaele Sollecito) house the night of the slaying, but did return to her own home, the one she shared with Kercher, the following morning. Upon entering the villa she noticed that something wasn’t quite right, as there was dried blood in the bathroom, an unflushed toilet, and the door leading to Kercher’s bedroom was firmly locked.

Perhaps the most suspicious part of Kercher’s account is that while she called out Meredith’s name, she didn’t bother to bang on her door after getting no response, as the police later did. And, rather than phoning the authorities, Kercher went straight back to Sollecito’s place — he later had the bright idea of calling the cops.

The two were eventually charged with murder and sexual assault, as evidence pointed to a “drug-fueled sex game” which allegedly included a third individual by the name of Rudy Hermann Guede (said to have been the one assaulting Kercher).

Both Kercher and Sollecito have changed their stories multiple times, causing suspicion to soar to an all-time high.

It is rather bizarre that Kercher wasn’t more proactive. If you came home to find blood in your bathroom and an unresponsive roommate, wouldn’t you do something? (CNN.com)

2. While it is a known fact that being behind the wheel is far more dangerous than traveling by plane, the irony of the events that took place on May 31 and June 1 will surely send a chill racing down your spine. Johanna Ganthaler and her hubby Kurt had two tickets for Air France Flight 447, but ended up missing the flight as they arrived at Rio de Janeiro airport a tad late. Normally that would be a pain in the behind, but after the jet dove into the Atlantic any annoyance the couple had previously felt no doubt dissolved within the blink of an eye. Here’s where the tragically ironic twist comes in — Johanna actually died the following afternoon. The car that she and her husband were driving during their stay in Austria (they grabbed a flight from Rio on June 1) smashed into an oncoming truck. Johanna died at a local hospital, and her spouse was badly injured. Was it her fate, or a fluke accident? (Times Online)

3. You can’t provide a much better excuse for missing school than a hand-written note from the President of the United States, and that’s just what Kennedy Corpus got. She skipped school to see President Obama at a town hall meeting in Wisconsin. When her father mentioned it while asking a question, the president asked if she needed a note for her teacher. They thought he was joking, but ended up with a pretty serious souvenir. “To Kennedy’s teacher. Please excuse Kennedy’s absence…. she’s with me,” read the note, along with Obama’s signature. Wonder how many school children will try to forge one of those? (CBS News)

4. It’s a boy for Cher! Chastity Bono, daughter, child of Cher and the late Sonny Bono, is “transitioning from female to male” and will now be known as Chaz. The former woman came out as a lesbian when she was 18. “Chaz, after many years of consideration, has made the courageous decision to honor his true identity,” rep Howard Bragman said in a statement. “It is Chaz’s hope that his choice to transition will open the hearts and minds of the public regarding this issue, just as his ‘coming out’ did nearly 20 years ago.” At least he won’t have to change his monogram … (MSNBC)

5. Just when you’d moved on from worrying about the swine flu to fretting about adequate amounts of sunscreen … the H1N1 virus is back in the headlines and now being called “not-stoppable” and a “global pandemic” (the first since 1968), according to the World Health Organization. But before you start bathing in hand sanitizer, it’s important to know that these frightening headlines don’t mean the strain has gotten any worse, just that it has spread further and into more countries (74). As of yesterday, there had been 28,774 confirmed cases and 144 deaths worldwide. Decisions regarding mass production of a vaccination in the United States will be made at the end of the summer. For now, keep washing your hands … and don’t forget the sunscreen either. (CNN)

6. Someone’s taking this whole online-dating business a tad too seriously. Sean McGinn of Brooklyn has a bone to pick with Match.com, and the bone has come in the form of a lawsuit. McGinn is suing the site for failing to remove expired profiles, which caused him “humiliation and disappointment” since he kept sending off e-mails to women who were no longer available (ie: they didn’t return his emails …). Apparently McGinn feels it’s his civic duty to warn others about perils of using the service, before they — and their fragile egos — suffer the same fate. What’s interesting is that McGinn eventually did stumble upon a current profile, and he is no longer single … thanks to Match.com! (Newser.com)

7. Could terrorists have downed the Air France plane that crashed into the Atlantic last week? French media reports that two passengers on the plane had ties to Al Qaeda raise questions. French officials were quick to rule out terrorism, but so little is still known. Reports of a “bright white flash” in the sky at the time of the crash and a bomb threat to Air France in Argentina a few days prior are further fueling speculation. Terrorism experts warn about jumping to conclusions either way. The search is on for the elusive black boxes that could hold some answers … that we may not want to hear. (The Christian Science Monitor)

Have you honestly been following the murder trial?? This is a ridiculous trial. The prosecutor is up on charges of misconduct in another trial. There is NO real evidence. These kids have nothing in common with the killer. They didn’t know him. He was convicted and the prosecution refuses to drop charges.
The trial will last for months since I think they only meet a few times per week.
Look closer at the evidence and the facts!